Here was the Form of Justice kept up, which is as much as can be said of several other Courts, that have more lawful Commissions for what they do.--Here was no feeing of Council, and bribing of Witnesses was a Custom not known among them; no packing of Juries, no torturing and wresting the Sense of the Law, for bye Ends and Purposes, no puzzling or perplexing the Cause with unintelligible canting Terms, and useless Distinctions; nor was their Sessions burthened with numberless Officers, the Ministers of Rapine and Extortion, with ill boding Aspects, enough to fright _Astræa_ from the Court. The Place appointed for their Tryals, was the Steerage of the Ship; in order to which, a large Bowl of Rum Punch was made, and placed upon the Table, the Pipes and Tobacco being ready, the judicial Proceedings began; the Prisoners were brought forth, and Articles of Indictment against them read; they were arraigned upon a Statute of their own making, and the Letter of the Law being strong against them, and the Fact plainly proved, they were about to pronounce Sentence, when one of the Judges mov'd, that they should first Smoak t'other Pipe; which was accordingly done. All the Prisoners pleaded for Arrest of Judgment very movingly, but the Court had such an Abhorrence of their Crime, that they could not be prevailed upon to shew Mercy, till one of the Judges, whose Name was _Valentine Ashplant_, stood up, and taking his Pipe out of his Mouth, said, he had something to offer to the Court in behalf of one of the Prisoners; and spoke to this Effect.-- _By G--_, Glasby _shall not dye; d--n me if he shall._ After this learned Speech, he sat down in his Place, and resumed his Pipe. This Motion was loudly opposed by all the rest of the Judges, in equivalent Terms; but _Ashplant_, who was resolute in his Opinion, made another pathetical Speech in the following Manner. _G-- d--n ye Gentlemen, I am as good a Man as the best of you; d--m my_ S--l _if ever I turned my Back to any Man in my Life, or ever will, by G_--; Glasby _is an honest Fellow, notwithstanding this Misfortune, and I love him, D--l d--n me if I don't: I hope he'll live and repent of what he has done; but d--n me if he must dye, I will dye along with him._ And thereupon, he pulled out a pair of Pistols, and presented them to some of the learned Judges upon the Bench; who, perceiving his Argument so well supported, thought it reasonable that _Glasby_ should be acquitted; and so they all came over to his Opinion, and allowed it to be Law. But all the Mitigation that could be obtained for the other Prisoners, was, that they should have the Liberty of choosing any four of the whole Company to be their Executioners. The poor Wretches were ty'd immediately to the Mast, and there shot dead, pursuant to their villainous Sentence.